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Every trip leader at Appalachian Wilderness Guides feels a strong connection to the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. In fact, many of them have thru-hiked all 2,185 of its miles?but that's just the beginning of their qualifications. All of them have trained in wilderness first aid, have certification in "Leave No Trace Outdoors Ethics," and have never scolded a woodpecker for its annoying laugh. With these and other skills, they lead expeditions such as beginner day hikes throughout the mountains, multi-day camping trips, and wine-tasting treks throughout Georgia vineyards. Appalachian Wilderness Guides also runs a hostel for overnight guests as well as an Appalachian Trail school.

A group of Navy SEALs designed the BattleFrog Race Series. This trio of obstacle courses?8K, 1-mile, and 400-meter?challenges bodies and minds with scenarios similar to what SEALs face in their training sessions. Each course has a different number of obstacles. Participants climb nets, slosh through mud, and swim with intensity, all while building teamwork and testing their endurance. The events also feature bounce houses for kids and exhibits along with food and music.

Whitewater rapids churn the Chattahoochee River into a winding roller coaster, where rafters paddle in unison and shriek in delight at every unexpected thrill Mother Nature throws their way. But 100 feet above this speeding waterway lies a completely different thrill: the Blue Heron Adventure. The dual zipline stretches 1,200 feet across the river, connecting Georgia to Alabama on a thrilling journey that accelerates to speeds of 40 mph—the only zipline to connect two states. But the fun doesn't end there—the Blue Heron Aerial Course is a treetop aerial course that will meet you after ziplining into Alabama that features 10 obstacles such as tunnels, balance beams, and bridges. After enjoying the fun on the Alabama side, visitors are conveniently shuttled back to the starting point via a motorized canyon raft.
A Look at Whitewater Express
As former designers of water courses at the 1996 Summer Olympics, Whitewater Express opens up the wonders of Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina to youth groups, coworkers venturing out on corporate outings, and outdoorsy vacationers with a wealth of activities and exploration opportunities at four different camps. Visitors hike and bike through the fresh, pine-scented air of the Great Smoky Mountains at the Ocoee location, which features 225-plus acres of unspoiled wilderness—or raft past downtown Columbus on a Chattahoochee River trip. Guests can survey the scenery as guides pilot whitewater rafts and kayaks down the scenic Ocoee and Nantahala Rivers; relax in rustic log cabins; or play paintball on a woodsy outdoor course.

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title: Stone Summit
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html_text: With their jagged ridges, multicolored faces, and thousands of holds affixed seemingly at random, the rock walls at Stone Summit look like cubist installations large enough to fill a small warehouse. Follow any series of holds up to the top of these expressionist monuments, though, and scores of individual routes emerge, offering challenges for everyone from entry-level beginners to the most seasoned scaler. Climbers can seek out the tops of routes as high as 60 feet off the facility floor, and bouldering enthusiasts have an entire room filled with near-horizontal overhangs and brain-teasing bouldering problems perfect for studying for the rock-climbing portion of the SAT. The facility complements its climbing focus with a range of non-climbing exercise opportunities, including treadmills, weight machines, and yoga classes.

Skiing. Snowboarding. Canoeing. Rock climbing. Horseback riding. To someone with a physical disability, activities like these
might seem impossible. Yet Eric Gray, founder of Catalyst Sports, has taught disabled individuals how to perform each one?plus a few others. At Catalyst, Eric and his team empower people to not only overcome physical disabilities, but also to thrive with them.
The organization provides unique recreational opportunities to individuals of all ages and ability levels, including adaptive rock climbing programs. In fact, Catalyst has grown into the largest such adaptive climbing program in the country. It has done so, in large part, by hosting frequent events and fundraisers, which are
far better ways to raise money than playing the same Roman numerals in the lottery every week.

For this 5K race, a normally tame park or other venue is transformed into Mean Streets, an urban-themed obstacle course. In the Construction Zone, participants navigate over and under traffic barriers of different heights followed by a dive into a trash-filled dumpster. After bypassing the dumpster zone, runners test their stamina as cat burglars, scrambling through first-floor windows and trespassing through backyards. They barely touch ground before scaling upward once again on the Time-to-Climb portion of the course, which features a Jason Bourne-esque run across the rooftops. Finally, contestants climb out a window and onto the fire escape, swinging across an 8-foot ladder to reach the finish.